Glacier Lanes a community gathering place with eclectic flair
Nick Kardelis bowls a frame at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
The bar area at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Kristen and Derek Larson with their son, Hakon, and daughter, Sunniva, at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Gavin Gray selects a pair of bowling shoes for a customer at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Pinsetters installed in 1960 work to continuously set up pins at the end of each lane at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Neon signs and lights at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Barak Evans, a friend of the Larsons, works on a piece of spray-paint art for the alley at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bowlers at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Nick Kardelis bowls a frame at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Fred Vanhorn selects a ball to bowl with family at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Customers are flooded with nostalgia when walking into Glacier Lanes.
There’s a little bit of every decade on display in the bowling alley — the 80s in the linoleum flooring and the 60s in the original mural displayed above the lanes. There’s a long history of the Columbia Falls community gathering at the bowling alley, and owners Derek and Kristen Larson want to keep it that way, with their own eccentric twist.
Kristen said when she and her husband purchased the bowling alley in 2018, they turned a former casino area into a stage and took out the carpeting, which blanketed much of the space. The bowling alley originally opened in 1961, according to an article in the Hungry Horse News.
Many of the paintings hanging on the walls are by Kristen, but they highlight local artists of all kinds. And there are knick-knacks, antiques and kitschy items galore — lining the shelves behind the bar and the shoe counter, including several vintage TVs playing the same old movie.
Derek admits he’s not much of a competitive bowler, but saw the opportunity to turn the space with its eight-lane bowling alley into a gathering place for locals.
“I guess I'm a bowler in the sense that I do have fun. And so, we want to bring other people here that just want to go out with their friends and family,” Derek said.
He said they wanted a space where people could express themselves.
“In Portland, we had a small music venue there where people came from all around the country to play music, and so we saw this as a built-in spot where we could bring in local musicians or show films,” Derek said.
The mix of vintage and local art piques the interest of many who visit. While wintertime weekdays are a little slow, the summer is a different story.
Kristen said they love hearing from tourists that the space is unique and that they didn’t expect to come across it on their trip, feeling like the definition of “a hole-in-the-wall.”
“People come in, they'll be biking across America and they'll stop in here, and they’re like, ‘What is this place?’ It just blows their minds and they love it,” Kristen said.
It’s become somewhat of a “photo op” for Instagram especially, with visitors posting the business’ out-of-the-box decorations or capturing a performance during karaoke night.
But, after the pandemic began in 2020, their future with the bowling alley became unclear. Shutdowns affected the financial situation of many businesses and Glacier Lanes was no exception. This, along with the birth of another baby, caused the couple to reevaluate if this was the right path for them. Derek said it’s also difficult to fix the 60-year-old pin setting machinery and to train employees on how to handle it.
“It was just like, regrouping and trying to figure out where our focus was, you know, what we wanted out of this life,” Kristen said.
But, they ultimately decided to stay, finding people who specialize in repairing old bowling equipment to better train their crew and get back on their feet after a tough couple of years.
“We love it and we want to see it stay here,” Larson said.
“And the effort that’s been put into it. Where will people go to have this experience? I mean, if we sell it, what? It might be torn down to build a condo, and then there's one less thing for kids to do,” Kristen continued.
The bowling alley is a popular place for Columbia Falls teenagers to hang out.
Going forward, Derek said he wants to keep the old pin setting machines running for as long as possible and not overextending too much when it comes to projects.
“That's the biggest goal for this place, and we'd like to do more movie nights and keep bringing in the energy of music in here,” Derek said.
Kristen said they’d like to see the space used more for events. But going into the holidays, she said a priority is keeping the schedule clear enough to accommodate the families who want to bowl a game during Christmas break.
Glacier Lanes will be hosting several fundraiser shows in December. Surfbat is playing Dec. 17 to benefit the repair and replacement of musical instruments for students at Lincoln County High School. On Dec. 27 is a design party and fundraiser for the Columbia Falls Skate Park.
For more information, visit www.glacierlanesisamazing.com.
Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.
The bar area at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Kristen and Derek Larson with their son, Hakon, and daughter, Sunniva, at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Gavin Gray selects a pair of bowling shoes for a customer at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Pinsetters installed in 1960 work to continuously set up pins at the end of each lane at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Neon signs and lights at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Barak Evans, a friend of the Larsons, works on a piece of spray-paint art for the alley at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bowlers at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Nick Kardelis bowls a frame at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Fred Vanhorn selects a ball to bowl with family at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Friday, Nov. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider